Friday, August 15, 2008

things they don't tell you

now that the little bean is 5+ weeks old, The Mr. and I have discovered that they don't tell you everything. they also like to tell you how everything will be easier... in a few months.

yes, guys. what's a few months when it comes to your sanity?

we have a fussy baby on our hands. that's not quite what we ordered; especially since we never got to recover from the horror that was called labor.

i've been saying over at the other blog how things haven't been at all what we've expected... guess i shouldn't be surprised here.

we knew babies cried. for no reason.

we also knew some babies cried a lot. for no reason.

we did not know that this baby would cry almost non-stop for the better part of a whole day. truthfully, they are right: it is getting better.

but the trade off is holding her and rocking,walking,dancing,swaying,bouncing,jostling all the time.

do not sit down and give your aching arms/back/neck a break. this cute little porker weighs ~12lbs!! oh, & do not think for a minute that she is truly asleep. for when you put her down, all hell breaks loose and you have to begin the cycle all over again!

she squirms and pushes and shoves and throws her hands all over, interfering w/ eating. i never thought a newborn would play w/ her food at this early age!

i also never thought a newborn would be nearly as active as she is.... they don't really tell you that your baby may not like to be swaddled. therefore, if she sleeps on her back, she wakes herself up. immediately. and LOUDLY.

so, don't tell the AAP, but she sleeps on her stomach. and already is learning the beginnings of how to crawl she's so active.

they don't mention the fact that she can & will scream so loudly and forcefully she loses her voice & breath. they also don't mention how to get through that part.

they do tell you to try the swing. the bouncy seat. the dryer. the car.

none work at relaxing a sleepy baby. tho' the bouncy seat can keep her occupied long enough to scarf down some food (usually).

they like to mention that "every baby is different". that's the cover for: we-don't-know-what-the-hell-to-tell-you. and: thank-god-my-kid-was-an-angel.

all the books like to tell you that it's very, very important that your newborn gets enough rest in order to develop well. they don't tell you what to do w/ an overtired baby that doesn't know how to go from wake to sleep w/o lots of effort... it takes about the same amount of coddling until the next feed cycle starts.

2 comments:

She is a cutie!! So sorry things are rough. Bob discovered early on that doing squats while holding a fussy Little Elvis calmed him right down. He seriously did squats for an hour one night!He just kind of stumbled into that solution.We had a baby sleep positioner for Little Elvis, which kept him from rolling some.This is similar to the one we used - http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4645524&sourceid=1500000000000003260330&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=4645524

I know some people don't like these things, but if it works, well, you know. You do what works!

we also have a positioner. which helped somewhat until we discovered the belly works much better. and the pacifier works only sometimes. which i'm fine with. i hope she won't become dependent on it; but sometimes she does need it.

About Me

i was a first grade teacher for 7 years. i left that fantastic job to begin a career w/ a meaningful nonprofit, where I worked for the duration of my pregnancy with the bean. i am now a housewife & mother of a little girl.